Multipurpose rainfly

ABSTRACT

A rainfly allows an occupant within a tent to view the evening sky. An occupant can access a flap member that opens to view the night sky from within the tent. That way, the occupant need not exit the tent in order to open the flap member to view the night sky or close the flap member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/122,715, filed on Dec. 8, 2020, entitled “MULTIPURPOSE RAINFLY,” currently pending, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a tent rainfly having the ability to not only vent but also provide a clear view of the night sky.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Tents often have rainflies that protect the tent from rain, solar rays, and the like. The rainflies, however, have poor ventilation. To improve ventilation, most full rainfly tents have ceiling ventilation. However, tents having ceiling ventilation do not permit one to easily view the night sky from within the tent, which is a major draw to camping and sleeping in tents.

Tents that feature the ability to view the night sky usually include PVC or TPU “skylights.” Those skylights are made from a single, solid skin and thus don't provide ventilation. Furthermore, such skylights can easily become clouded with grime, condensation, and other debris.

Other tents have flies that can pull back for sky viewing. However, those tents require the user to exit the tent before they roll back an entire section of the rainfly. This can be inconvenient when a user is already comfortable in his or her tent and prepared to view the night sky.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The rainfly hereof permits a user to operate a ceiling vent in the rainfly as a skylight to allow viewing of the stars at night. Zippers provided on the tent's ceiling or side wall(s) allow the user to access the rainfly through the inner tent mesh without having to exit the tent. This can be particularly helpful during inclement weather conditions. The vent may also be zippered along at least one one side to allow a larger section of the fly to be pulled back for viewing the night sky.

The rainfly section also may include a prop rod to allow ventilation through the rainfly when it is not being used for sky viewing, or in rainy conditions. A rain cuff or waterproof zipper preferably keeps the tent waterproof to prevent water from dripping into the tent. An added benefit is that while the rainfly is open, there is increased ventilation. This may help cool the user and decrease condensation in the tent. As such, the rainfly herein may be characterized as being multipurpose.

The rainfly hereof may be used either with backpack- or family-style tents. As such, it is suitable for use in a variety of sizes and shapes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be made to the following accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a tent and rainfly constructed according to the teachings hereof with a section of the rainfly in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tent and rainfly of FIG. 1 with the section of the rainfly in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a tent and rainfly constructed according to the teachings hereof with two sections of the rainfly in a vented position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the tent and rainfly of FIG. 3 with the sections of the rainfly in an open position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a tent and rainfly constructed according to the teachings hereof with a section of the rainfly in a vented position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tent and rainfly of FIG. 5 with the section of the rainfly in an open position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a tent and rainfly constructed according to the teachings hereof with a cutaway portion of the rainfly removed and a section of the rainfly in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A first embodiment of a tent 1 including a rainfly 5 is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The tent 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 may be a backpack-style tent, designed to shelter two to three individuals therein. In FIG. 1 a triangular flap member 10 of the rainfly 5 is illustrated in a first or “closed” position. In the closed position, the flap member 10 is preferably held in place by a waterproof zipper, is “rain-cuffed,” or otherwise is coupled to the rest of the rainfly 5 to prevent water from entering the tent 1 via the section 10.

The flap member 10 preferably includes a tab member 15 that may help a user to peel the flap member 10 back to expose an opening 20 in the rainfly 5. The tab member 15 may further be securable to a top portion 25 of the rainfly 5 so that the flap member 10 is out of the way if an occupant within the tent 1 were to want to view the sky. The tab member 15 may be engaged to the top portion 25 in a number of ways, including but not limited to hook-and-loop fasteners, clips, or the like. Securing the top portion 25 in such a way positions the top portion 25 in a second or “open” position.

FIG. 2 illustrates an access door 30 that is provided on the tent 1. The door 30 may be made from a variety of materials but is preferably made of a mesh that makes the door 30 at least semi-transparent. In some embodiments, the door 30 may be used for egress and ingress, but in any event should allow an inhabitant to unzip or otherwise uncouple door 30 from within the tent 1 so that he or she may access the flap member 10. He or she may then fold or roll the flap member 10 back and secure it to the top portion 25 of the rainfly 5. The occupant may then either recouple the door 30 to the tent 1 to view the night sky through the door 30 or leave the door 30 open for an entirely unobstructed view of the night sky.

When an occupant wishes to close the flap member 10, he or she may similarly do so without having to exit the tent 1. More particularly, he or she may uncouple the door 30 from the tent 1 by unzipping it or performing a similar operation. Then, he or she may fold or roll the flap member 10 down such that it covers the opening 20. After re-securing the flap member 10, for example by zipping or otherwise fastening it to the rainfly 5, he or she may zip or otherwise close the door 30. Because of the construction of the rainfly 5 and the tent 1, an occupant need not enter or exit the tent 1 to expose the opening 20 to allow for clear viewing of the sky.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an alternatively constructed tent 35. The tent 35 is preferably designed as a backpack-style tent aimed to sleep two to three people. Like the tent 1, the tent 35 is provided with a rainfly 40. The rainfly 40, unlike the rainfly 5, includes two flap members 45 that are positioned and located on substantially opposite sides of the rainfly 40. The flap members 45 may be rolled back or opened in substantially the same way as the flap member 10. A door 50 (see FIG. 4) is also preferably provided in the tent 35, below each of the flap members 45 that may open and close in the same ways identified for the door 30 to reveal an opening 55 (see FIG. 4). Thus, to open and close the flap members 45 and/or doors 50, an occupant could carry out substantially the same steps as set forth for the tent 1 and the rainfly 5.

Unlike the flap member 10, however, the flap members 45 may be vented in addition to being opened or closed. A prop rod 60 is preferably provided on the rainfly adjacent to the opening 55 that may be extended to prop open the rainfly 45 (as illustrated in FIG. 3). The prop rod 60 may stay in place using hook and loop fasteners or other foreseeable structures. When the prop rod 60 is not deployed, it may lay substantially flat, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate yet another alternatively constructed tent 65. The tent 65 may be designed as a family tent, aimed to allow six to eight people to fit inside the tent. In general, the tent 65 functions substantially similarly to the tent 35, including its ability to vent. As such, it includes a rainfly 70 having a flap member 75 (rather than two flap members 45). A door 80 of the tent 65 may provide access to the flap member 75 from within the tent 65 (see FIG. 6). When the flap member 75 is rolled back in the manner illustrated in FIG. 6, an opening 85 may be provided through which an occupant can see the sky. Like the tent 35, a prop rod 90 may be provided that is able to put the flap member 75 in the vented position, as illustrated in FIG. 5. As such, the rainfly 70 serves multiple purposes as a vent and as a skylight.

Yet another tent 95 having a rainfly 100 is provided in FIG. 7. The tent 95 is preferably designed as a family-style tent. A portion of the rainfly 100 has been removed so as to view a flap member 105 of the rainfly 100 that rolls inwardly when an inhabitant wishes to view the night sky (as opposed to outwardly). Besides rolling inwardly toward the tent 95, the flap member 105 and door 110 otherwise operate substantially similarly to the other tents described herein. Unlike other tents, however, rather than being located almost entirely on a top portion of the rainfly 100, opening 115 that is formed when the flap member 105 is rolled up is located partly on a rear portion 120 of the rainfly 100.

It should be noted that various features provided in one tent described herein may be utilized in other tents described herein, as may other foreseeable features. For example, an opening to provide night sky viewing may be located anywhere on a tent and rainfly that allows for easy viewing. Similarly, rod props or other foreseeable useful features or mechanisms may be present in any or all of the embodiments described herein.

Similarly, various alternative embodiments of tents may be provided that include the novel multipurpose rainflies described herein but vary in other aspects. For example, alternatively constructed tents that are contemplated by this application may have more or fewer flap members than the tents described herein. The style of tents also may vary—while family or backpack tents are described, one-person and other foreseeable tents may include the novel features set out above.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the various embodiments of the present invention are well adapted to attain all the objectives and advantages hereinabove set forth together with still other advantages which are obvious and which are inherent to the present structures. It will be understood that certain features and sub-combinations of the present embodiments are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub-combinations. Since many possible embodiments of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is also to be understood that all disclosures herein set forth or illustrated in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. The various constructions described above and illustrated in the drawings are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the concepts, principles, and scope of the present invention.

Many changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications of the present invention will, however, become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and the accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow. 

1. A rainfly that is engageable with a tent, the rainfly comprising: a flap member that is selectively moveable between a first position and a second position; a door member that may be opened or closed; wherein a portion of the flap member and a portion of the door member are at least partially aligned with one another such that the flap member may be selectively moved between the first position and the second position from inside the tent via the door member when open; and wherein when the flap member is open, an opening is provided in the rainfly that allows for viewing upwardly outside the tent from within the tent.
 2. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the rainfly includes a prop rod that supports the flap member in a vented position.
 3. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the tent includes a second door member, and the rainfly includes a second flap member.
 4. The rainfly of claim 3, wherein a portion of the second door member and a portion of the second flap member are at least partially aligned with one another.
 5. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the flap member is positioned and located on a top portion of the rainfly.
 6. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the door member is positioned and located on a top portion of the tent.
 7. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the flap member is selectively attachable to a top portion of the rainfly when the flap member is in the second position.
 8. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the flap member is positioned and located on a side portion of the tent.
 9. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the flap member rolls inwardly toward the tent.
 10. The rainfly of claim 1, wherein the tent is one of a family tent and a backpacking tent.
 11. A tent system, the tent system including: a tent, the tent including at least one door member that can be selectively opened or closed; a rainfly that is engageable with the tent, the rainfly including at least one flap member that can be selectively opened or closed; and wherein a portion of the at least one flap member and a portion of the at least one door member are at least partially aligned with one another.
 12. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the rainfly includes a prop rod that supports the at least one flap member in a vented position.
 13. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the tent includes at least two door members, and the rainfly includes at least two flap members.
 14. The tent system of claim 13, wherein a portion of a second of the at least two door member and a portion of a second of the at least two flap members are at least partially aligned with one another.
 15. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one flap member is positioned and located on a top portion of the rainfly.
 16. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one door member is positioned and located on a top portion of the tent.
 17. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one flap member is selectively attachable to a top portion of the rainfly when the at least one flap member is opened.
 18. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one flap member is positioned and located on a side portion of the tent.
 19. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the at least one flap member rolls inwardly toward the tent.
 20. The tent system of claim 11, wherein the tent is one of a family tent and a backpacking tent. 